Glider landouts Shobdon Virgin and that first landout.
Writen by Nigel Perren
This article first appeared in the London Gliding club Newsletter.
I am sure that you have all heard those funny and not so funny
landout stories; I've always looked on them as something that
happens to other pilots, not to me, until 18th March 2005 that
is.
So here it is, my first landout. I keep telling myself it's nothing
to be ashamed of
Saturday 12th. The road to Shobdon. Follow Len Cross towing K21
and Lloyd Duhaney towing K23; rather cautious as it's the first
time I've ever towed anything, let alone a glider trailer. Arrive
in one piece. Get check flight in KEJ with Len. Promptly loose
sight of airfield, not a good omen. Steve Lynn has a good wave
flight to 10,500ft
Sunday 13th. Get to fly for the first time in the Duo with Errol
Drew, very nice indeed (the Duo is pretty cool too). Get better
look at the unfamiliar landscape.
Monday 14th. Another check flight with Len who lets me loose
to fly 980 for a local 35 min flight. Parachute strap gets caught
in U/C lever slot on base leg. Frantic activity in cockpit, another
bad omen. Landing at Shobdon can be unnerving. While combating
rotor, I had a micolight on my left wingtip and three aircraft
with pros turning waiting to cross my landing strip which is only
just wider than my wingspan. I decide to land a bit long. Damn
Mr Lynn's 3hr flight!
Tuesday 15th Washout.
Wednesday 16th. Washout Lloyd and I go hay on Wye and become
tourists for the day.
Thursday 17th. Full cloud cover and 20knts. Lloyd, Adam Derby
and I go to inspect Talgarth. It was still there. While we are
away some flying is done, Len lands out and has a aerotow back,
leaving his P2 in the field.
Are you sure it was his fault Len? Paul Shrosbree lands heavily;
thankfully the glider ends up more broken than him. More bad omens?
Friday 18th. All those bad omens are making my nervous. Watch
several people take off and disappear. Become impatient to join
them. Finally it's my turn. Aha, good lift at 2,400ft, and release.
Oh Shit, I think I needed another 1,100ft! Manage to skirt around
some hills in zero lift then decide to make a dash for the airfield.
O no, more sink than B and Q!
I head for a cluster of farm and industrial buildings hoping
for a weak thermal, on anything at all. I circle a few times,
but in vain. I can see no landable ground towards the airfield,
only 3 miles away.
At 1,000ft I have already picked a field very close to the farmhouse.
It is into wind, looks to have reasonable access (not a priority
though), no observable obstructions. It has a new short crop with
trammel lines also into wind, no trees up or down wind (no rotor).
The ground looks a bid dark on the left side, maybe indicating
wet ground and poor drainage or, as it turned out, sloping ground,
anyway it is plenty big enough so I can keep away from this area.
My only real concern is that I have drifted away to the bottom
left corner of the field and my "thermal" turns are
clockwise which forces me to make two opposing tight turns to
get on finals. I am lower than I want to be to make this manoeuvre
so to be safe I add another 5kns to my landing speed and monitor
it closely.
Touchdown is OK but the ground is softer and rougher than I expected
as it has a hump in the middle that I have not seen, it is also
slightly downhill. This causes the glider to bounce a foot or
two, so away with most of the air-brakes to controlle it. It is
all don "as matter of fact" so I can't tell you about
any abject terror and buckets of sweat sloping around on the cockpit
floor. Sorry
After the dust has settled, I have a good look around the glider
for any damage - none found - and phoned the airfield to let them
know I am down but OK. Now what? Go find the farmer and apologise
for any inconvenience that I have caused him. Now I am nervous!
I make my way to the farhouse 200 yardss away, find the front
door and knock. An elderly lady 42 years my sinior comes to the
door with a dog almost aas old as she is. I apologise for the
intrusion and explain that I have landed my aeroplane in her field.
"Oh, how wonderfull! Let's go and have a look. Cup of tea?"
Well tat wasn't so bad."
Soon len comes to pick me up. Some willing hands go back with
me to retrieve the glider. First we have to push it uphill to
a gate that was hard work and probably contributed to my back
problems a week later. We manage to dismantle it and manhandle
it across a shallow ditch and into the trailer. I think I still
owe at least a few drinks for the retrieve.
Back at the airfeld the very nice chap Errol Drew feels some
pity for me in not yet having had a proper wave flight and offers
an other flight in the Duo. It is most gratefully accepted and
we have a good flight rounding off the week nicely.
So, have glider, will land out
. Sometimes. It's nothing
to be ashamed of, Probably.
Nigel Perren
This article first appeared in the London Gliding club Newsletter.
http://www.londonglidingclub.co.uk
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